In the Age of the Individual, all marketing is becoming “direct” marketing and “serving” has become the new “selling.” To acquire and retain customers in today’s highly competitive marketplace, the ability to deliver relevant information and timely offers personalized to the customer’s needs, interests and behavior has become the difference between being a customer retention contender or pretender.

In this session, Joel Book of ExactTarget will show how innovative companies are using digital marketing – anchored by Email, Social and Mobile, and Websites — as the backbone of a cross-channel life cycle marketing strategy to acquire, engage, grow and retain customers.

I completely agree with Joel on the following points:

1. Serving is the new selling.

2. Make opt-in’s as painless as possible.

3. Mindset, attitude and listening are keys to engagement.

4. How things used to work and how things are today:

• 20 years ago, there was 1 advertising spot on 3 networks to reach 80% of consumers.
• Today, we have 200+ channels, everything moves at high speed and it’s a 24/7/365 conversation.

5. Branding is out of our hands and in the hands of customers…

But, as entrepreneurs, it is our job to figure out the core brand and be able to tell a consistent, cohesive, and compelling brand story, so it can be shared correctly to inspire those that need to hear our unique message.

We had a plastic part in our freezer break so I found three businesses to call:

Business A: Told me that they have a set fee without even asking any questions.

Brand Strategy: Get a technician to the house so they can collect their service fee.

Recommendation: Get a whole new unit at $223.90.

Result: I felt like a number and that they didn’t really care.

Business B: Asked where I lived and said he was in the area.

Brand Strategy: Be available no matter if this is the right customer or not.

Recommendation: He said he would look up the part and call me back.  He called back, and said he could only find a metal part and offered to come by and look at it.

Result: I felt like he didn’t run his business very well and wouldn’t be able to fix my freezer.

Business C: Diagnosed my problem over the phone and asked if I needed water filters.

Brand Strategy: Communicate with the customer and address their specific needs.

Recommendation: A part for $10.82, YouTube instructions, and a discount on filters.

Result: I didn’t want to buy anything more than the part, but she provided a discount and upsold me on a future need that I hadn’t even addressed yet.  WINNER!

Without customers, there is no business or paycheck.

• Think of customers as a surprise to your day, not an interruption.
• Think of customers as real people like you and me.
• Think of customers as people needing your goods instead of you needing their money.

If you can think in that way and help customers overcome their problems by finding the best solution; you will in turn overcome your own business challenges.

This was one of the most popular blogs in 2011, and based on some recent stories that I have heard it is worth repeating:

Customer service and the way your customers experience your brand has the power to make or break you.  Here is a short quiz:

1. Why are we in business?  Because of the customer.

2. Why are existing customers forgotten about?  Because of focus on new customers.

3. What is the best way to get more business?  Existing customer referrals.

Obviously, it makes sense to take care of your existing customers, but there are still so many businesses that don’t, and some even complain that they are bothered by their existing customers.

If you want to be the best, then learn from the best, and set the bar high.  Zappos is the prime example of customer service. You may have heard them say that they are in the customer service business and just happen to sell shoes.  Tony Hsieh, the CEO,  helped Zappos grow from almost no sales to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually, while simultaneously making Fortune magazines annual “Best Companies to Work For” list.  Now that you know their focus and their results, let’s take a look at the top 4 ways they back up their customer service branding promise:

“Powered by Service”

1. “Help” is listed at the top in two places, on the side, and on the bottom of their website. {How many websites bury this option + don’t show a phone number?!}
2. Customer service agents are empowered with tools, authority, and flexibility to make the customer happy. {Every employee starts in this department!}
3. Open 24/7 to call or get live help, 365 return policy, and free shipping both ways.
4. With 4,783,835 Total Products available, you can still easily navigate the website.

Now, you don’t have to be at this extreme level of customer service, but as I have mentioned before: The more work required of customers, the less sales return you will realize.  So, instead of running out the door each week to try to meet new customers, how about doing these two things:

Put on your customers’ shoes (no Zappos pun intended) and walk in them for a week to see what work you can reduce, and how you can improve the customer experience:

• What steps, information requested, or forms can you eliminate?
• How can you reduce time required of customers without compromising quality?
• How can you WOW them?

Look at your product or service offering as if you are buying your own company:

• Is your product or service of the highest quality?
• Have you received any complaints, and how can you proactively fix them?
• How can you innovate and improve, or find ways to add more value?

Remember:

• Less IS more.
• Quality, not quantity.
• Work smarter, not harder.

I hope you decide to spend some quality time to figure out how to get more efficient and effective so you can start seeing better results.

Want more info on the Zappos Family Core Values that back up their brand?

http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values